Guys, SAAB owners I need some advice on how to proceed....
I have a 1999 Saab 9-3 where I purchased from a friend of mine for about 3 months. It was working fine until I drove it from Toronto to Montreal (500 KM). On my way there I noticed a pipe that burst and my car was linking prestone. I quickly got that fixed and still noticed a whistling noise when I kicked into my turbo. Later on when I drove my car back up to Toronto I noticed that my car started to have alot of white smoke coming out of my exhaust. My car still runs... however the smoke is just way to much. Now my car is in a garage in Montreal while Im in Toronto. The mechanic told me that my turbo is gone which makes sense and also I need a new Catalytic Converter. Now he also said that I need my head is warped. I find it hard to believe that my head is warped since my car never over heated. Guys, what do you think... Any insight... He is charging me $1600 CAD for a new engine and $650 for the new Catalytic Converter. If my head is not warped all I need is a turbo. The price for the Catalytic Converter is way to much. Too pricey.....
The body on the Car is great and I love this car can someone help me

I can't really help you with your engine but tell him to not replace the cat unless it is clogged. Your car can run fine without it and it is more of an emissions thing. You can get a CatCo cat on eBay for ~$50 + shipping. $600 is wayy too much...

all that white smoke, does it mostly happen when you slow down or at idle? does it go away when you're at cruising speed? if so, then you're mechanic wasn't exactly wrong about you're turbo being gone. All that white smoke is because you're turbo is oil and water cooled, and one or more of those lines is burning up its contents in the turbo. There's a good chance your CAT is damaged, but I wouldn't go as far as replacing it just yet...not until the big problem is fixed. I don't understand why your guy could just assume that the head was warped, but it IS a possibility if all that prestone completely leaked out and you ran the car for an extended period with practically no oil. but, as you said, temps would have run high. go get a second opinion.... find a saab specialist. good luck!